An Analysis: Is Zidane the right man to lead Real Madrid?

Modified Jan 27, 2018 05:57 GMT

Real Madrid's French coach Zinedine Zidane (R) holds the ball as he stands on the pitch with his Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo during a training session two days prior to their FIFA Club World Cup semi-final match at New York University Abu Dhabi's stadium in the Emirati capital on December 11, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / GIUSEPPE CACACE (Dec. 10, 2017 - Source: AFP)

How did he land the job?

Zinedine Zidane, Manager of Real Madrid looks on during a Real Madrid training session at Valdebebas training ground on December 5, 2017 in Madrid, Spain. (Dec. 4, 2017 - Source: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images Europe)

When Real Madrid turned to Zidane following the dismissal of Rafa Benitez in 2015, the whole world was shocked. He was too inexperienced to make a good fist of it.

His CV was scanty. He had sat on the dugout with Carlo Ancelotti as an assistant for a year. But he had a little to do.

His record with Castilla, Real Madrid's B team, wasn't prodigious either. They failed to get a promotion.

Then, he pulled a rabbit out of the hat. Real Madrid won 11th Champion League trophy in May. In the next season, he secured Real Madrid a first league title since 2011-12, won back-to-back Champions League trophy, and the team went on a record 40 games undefeated.